Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 386
Lectionary: 386
Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
Responsorial Psalm PS 80:2AC AND 3B, 15-16
R. (4b) Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be
saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Gospel MT 10:7-15
Jesus said to his
Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words --
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words --
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
Meditation: "Freely
have you received - freely give"
Do you believe that the Gospel has power to change your life and
the lives of others? Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold commission
to speak in his name and to act with his power. The core of the Gospel message
is quite simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is imminent! What
is the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who freely submit to
God and who honor him as their Lord and King. In the Lord's prayer we pray for
God to reign in our lives and in our world: May your kingdom come and
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Doing the works which Jesus did
Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - bringing the healing power and mercy of God to the weary and oppressed. The Gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord Jesus will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.
Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - bringing the healing power and mercy of God to the weary and oppressed. The Gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord Jesus will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.
Sharing generously what God has given to each one of us
Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light - only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them - in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. "Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light - only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them - in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. "Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
Support the work of the Gospel with your resources
Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the Gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?
Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the Gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?
Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject
God's invitation and refuse his word, then they bring judgment and condemnation
on themselves. When God gives us his word there comes with it the great
responsibility to respond. Indifference will not do. We are either for or
against God in how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may
have life - abundant life - in him. He wills to work in and through each of us
for his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it
boldly and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the Gospel by
word and example to those around you?
“Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the Gospel transform my
life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your
truth and your light wherever I go.”
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Go, Spread the Kingdom. |
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July 10, 2014. Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary
Time
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Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus sent out the Twelve with the following instructions, “As
you go, make this proclamation: ´The kingdom of heaven is at hand.´ Cure the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have
received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper
for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or
walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you
enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you
enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come
upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you
or listen to your words -- go outside that house or town and shake the dust
from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, in your presence I break away from the spiritual
laziness and indifference that deprives me of the fruit of this prayer which
I need so much. I know my poverty, and you are immensely rich in all that I
need. I am so slow to give, whereas you are prompt and total in your gifts to
me. I offer you this unruly heart of mine to do all that you wish of me today.
Petition: Lord, please grant me the grace to be a better apostle
today than I was yesterday.
1. Go Out: The command is “Go.” The Kingdom cannot be spread while
sitting in an easy chair. We cannot wait for the world that needs Christ to
come to our door. Letting opportunities where we can serve pass by, hoping
someone else will take the initiative, is simply a “no” to Christ’s command.
“Go” means sensitizing our heart and eyes to those who are hungry for Christ,
seeing in the faces of our family members and co-workers a hunger for his
power and grace. In this culture that is sick and waning, “go” means reaching
out to those who need to know Christ, so that his Kingdom will expand. We
cannot take the easy route of preaching to the choir; we must reach out to
those professions and fields of study that have lost all sense of the dignity
of the human person – especially medicine, law, politics and education. This
is what the King is asking. What is the response which I am giving to my
King?
2. “Nobody Gives What He Doesn’t Possess”: Christ’s command is
to give from what we have received. If every day we make ourselves more aware
of the gifts we have been given through Christ’s power, we will be better at
giving Christ to others. As apostles, we go not with our own power; rather,
we carry Christ’s power to heal, save and conquer evil. It is he who drives
the mission, who makes the apostles a team. How often do I calculate what I
can contribute to the mission based only on the strength of my human
qualities? How often do I give only from what is just me, rather than from
the graces I have received from the Holy Spirit? Moreover, do I measure my
effectiveness solely from an individual perspective, rather than from that of
the whole body of the Church, in which other apostles are locked arm-in-arm
with me for the cause of Christ? God’s saving power is found where obedience
and unity are, not where only natural talents, gifts and abilities are at
play.
3. Failures and Disappointments: Christ affirms that
when we reach an impasse in our lives, this is, in and of itself, no sign of
the lack of the authenticity of our mission. Its results are tied to the
free-will choices of others, as well as to a plan where apparent barrenness
is part of God’s economy of salvation. A period of few fruits in the mission
can be a period of consolidation of our commitment to follow him in season
and out of season. Take this time to repel all discouragement and doubt and
to prove how authentic our “yes” is. A pure “yes” will seek God’s will and
the mission at hand simply because he wants it, not for any easy or
short-term results.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I wish to ignite my own zeal
for your Kingdom from the furnace of divine love which burns in your heart. I
offer you the promise of a soldier in combat: to be courageous, honorable,
persevering, and worthy of the name I bear – “Apostle of the Kingdom of
Christ.” I work aware of the fact that I have only one life to live on this
earth. Not one minute must be wasted in comfort-seeking and selfishness. My
heart is ready for the mission, Lord; please sustain it today with the
strength of your own.
Resolution: Today I will review my daily and weekly time commitments
before Christ, and I will ensure that I am using my time as fruitfully as I
can to expand his Kingdom in the world.
THURSDAY,
JULY 10, MATTHEW 10:7-15
(Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9; Psalm 80)  KEY VERSE: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give" (v 8). READING: Jesus sent forth the twelve apostles he had chosen to announce the arrival of God's reign. The reign of God was made apparent in their ministry by healing of the sick, by raising the dead, and by driving out evil. The twelve received God's gift without meriting it; therefore, they must share this gift freely with others. As the apostles went forth, they were to trust in God's providence, taking only the essentials, and depending upon the generosity of others to support them. Those who accepted the gospel of peace would be blessed. If the message was rejected, the blessing would return to the giver. The apostles must disassociate themselves from these unbelievers and leave it to God to pronounce judgment on them. REFLECTING: Am I generous in sharing the gifts that I have been given? PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to proclaim the gospel with courage as you did.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Appreciate Others
Spend time to remember and appreciate the people in your life
who, despite it all, kept you hopeful as you encountered situations of evil,
suffering, and sadness. See, too, the love and grace that touches all our
lives in these situations.
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Let us see your face, Lord, and we
shall be saved
I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek.Hosea presents a heart-warming and charming image of a God who loves us tenderly. We are mere babes, and he is the loving father who stoops down to give us food, lifts us up to his cheek, cradles us in his arms, and walks with us, restraining us with reins of kindness and leading strings of love. Hosea could write so movingly of divine love in terms of human love because he had experienced in his own family the anguish of unrequited love and infidelity. His picture of a God who loves his children is the same father we see in the parable of the prodigal son, the father who is ever loving no matter what his children may do.
July
10
St. Veronica Giuliani
(1660-1727)
St. Veronica Giuliani
(1660-1727)
Veronica’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with
the stigmata.
Veronica
was born in Mercatelli, Italy. It is said that when her mother Benedetta was
dying she called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them
to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound below
Christ’s heart.
At the
age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by the Capuchins. Her
father had wanted her to marry, but she convinced him to allow her to become a
nun. In her first years in the monastery, she worked in the kitchen, infirmary
and sacristy and also served as portress. At the age of 34, she was made novice
mistress, a position she held for 22 years. When she was 37, Veronica received
the stigmata. Life was not the same after that.
Church
authorities in Rome wanted to test Veronica’s authenticity and so conducted an
investigation. She lost the office of novice mistress temporarily and was not
allowed to attend Mass except on Sundays or holy days. Through all of this
Veronica did not become bitter, and the investigation eventually restored her
as novice mistress.
Though
she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was elected abbess, an office
she held for 11 years until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the
Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions.
Veronica was canonized in 1839.
Comment:
Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis of Assisi and to Veronica? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Celano points out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of these saints’ commitment to the cross in their lives. The stigmata that appeared in Veronica’s flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity toward her sisters.
Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis of Assisi and to Veronica? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Celano points out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of these saints’ commitment to the cross in their lives. The stigmata that appeared in Veronica’s flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity toward her sisters.
Quote:
Thomas of Celano says of Francis: "All the pleasures of the world were a cross to him, because he carried the cross of Christ rooted in his heart. And therefore the stigmata shone forth exteriorly in his flesh, because interiorly that deeply set root was sprouting forth from his mind" (2 Celano, #211).
Thomas of Celano says of Francis: "All the pleasures of the world were a cross to him, because he carried the cross of Christ rooted in his heart. And therefore the stigmata shone forth exteriorly in his flesh, because interiorly that deeply set root was sprouting forth from his mind" (2 Celano, #211).
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 10,7-15
Lectio:
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 10,7-15
Jesus said to his disciples: "As you go, proclaim that the
kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse
those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils.
You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep.
'Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave.
As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. In truth I tell you, on the Day of Judgement it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."
You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep.
'Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave.
As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. In truth I tell you, on the Day of Judgement it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents the second part of the sending out
of the disciples. Yesterday we have seen that Jesus insists in directing
them first toward the lost sheep of Israel. Today, we see the concrete
instructions to carry out the mission.
• Matthew 10, 7: The objective of the mission: to reveal the presence of the Kingdom. “Go and announce the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”. The principal objective is that of announcing that the Kingdom is close at hand. This is the novelty which Christ brings to us. For the other Jews there was still a long time before the coming of the Kingdom. It would have come only after they would have done their own part. The coming of the Kingdom depended, according to them, on their effort. For the Pharisees, for example, the Kingdom would be attained only after the perfect observance of the Law. For the Essences, when the country would have purified itself. But Jesus thinks in a different way. He has a different way of reading the facts of life. He says that the hour has already arrived (Mk 1, 15). When he says that the Kingdom is close at hand or that the Kingdom is already among us, in our midst, he does not mean to say that the Kingdom was just arriving at that moment, but that it was already there, independently of the effort made by the people. What they all expected was already present among the people, gratuitously, but the people did not know it, nor perceived it (cf. Lk 17, 21). Jesus is aware of this, because he sees reality with different eyes. He reveals and announces to the poor of his land this hidden presence of the Kingdom in our midst (Lk 4, 18). It is the mustard seed which will receive the rain of his word and the warmth of his love.
• Matthew 10, 8: The signs of the presence of the Kingdom: accept the excluded.How should the presence of the Kingdom be announced? Only through words and discourses? No! The signs of the presence of the Kingdom are above all concrete gestures or acts, done gratuitously: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the devils. You received without charge, give without charge”. This means that the disciples should accept within the community those who have been excluded. This practice of solidarity criticizes both the religion and society which exclude, and indicates concrete solutions.
• Matthew 10, 9-10: Do not take anything for the journey. Contrary to other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus should not take anything: “Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or a spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep”. This means that they have to trust in the hospitality of the people. Because the disciples who go without anything, taking only peace (Mk 10, 13), show that they trust the people. It is certain that they will be welcomed, that they will be able to participate in the life and the work of the people of the place and that they will be able to survive with what they will receive in exchange, because the labourer deserves his keep. This means that the disciples should trust in sharing. By means of this practice they criticize the laws of exclusion and recover the ancient values of community living together.
• Matthew 10, 11-13: To share peace in the community. The disciples should not go from house to house, but should seek persons of peace and remain in that house. That is, they should they in a stable manner. Thus, through that new practice, they criticise the culture of accumulation which characterized the politics of the Roman Empire, and they announced a new model of living together. Once all these requirements were respected, the disciples could cry out: The Kingdom of God has arrived! To announce the Kingdom does not mean, in the first place, to teach truths and doctrine, but lead toward a new fraternal manner of living and of sharing starting from the Good News which Jesus has brought to us: God and Father and Mother of all men and women.
• Matthew 10, 14-15: The severity of the menace. How is such a severe menace to be understood? Jesus has brought us something completely new. He has come to rescue the community values of the past: hospitality, sharing, communion around the table, acceptance of the excluded. That explains the severity against those who reject the message. Because they do not reject something new, but their own past, their own culture and wisdom! The objective of the pedagogy of Jesus is to dig out from the memory, to recover the wisdom of the people, to reconstruct the community, to renew the Covenant, to reconstruct life.
4) Personal questions
• Today, how can we put into practice the recommendation not to
take anything for the journey when going to a mission?
• Jesus orders to seek for persons of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News?
• Jesus orders to seek for persons of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News?
5) Concluding Prayer
God Sabaoth, come back, we pray,
look down from heaven and see,
visit this vine;
protect what your own hand has planted. (Ps 80,14-15)
look down from heaven and see,
visit this vine;
protect what your own hand has planted. (Ps 80,14-15)
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